On Monday, 12 October 2026, the 81th General Assembly of the United Nations has adopted the renewed UN Political Declaration on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response (PPPR). A milestone for global health.
Following intensive preparatory work and consultations among Member States and a wide range of stakeholders, including PREZODE as part of the Group of Friends of the High-level Meeting, the General Assembly adopted the political declaration on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response (PPPR), a key step forward for prevention and the One Health approach.
A high-level meeting on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, convened by the President of the Assembly on September 25th, preceded the adoption of the declaration. The meeting fostered a multilateral and intergenerational approach to prevent, prepare for, and respond to pandemics and public health emergencies, through the principles of equity and solidarity. The high-level meeting had approved the political declaration, agreed in advance by consensus through intergovernmental negotiations, to be submitted by the President of the General Assembly for adoption by the Assembly. PREZODE took part in the high-level discussions and contributed to the multistakeholder panels. It stressed the need to turn political commitments into concrete, equitable and sustainable prevention actions.
A year of engagement in international policy processes
This adoption marks a significant step forward. It recognises that preventing future pandemics requires action before crises emerge by addressing risks at their source through a science-based One Health approach. Over the past year, PREZODE and its partners have worked to bring this message into international policy discussions at several key moments:
- October 2025: World Health Summit, Berlin. PREZODE contributed to international discussions on One Health policy and governance, and made the case for including prevention at source in global pandemic frameworks.
- 6 April 2026: One Health Summit, Lyon. PREZODE co-organised a high-level roundtable with international partners. It brought together policymakers, scientists, civil society and financing institutions to advocate for upstream prevention and its sustainable financing.
- 9 June 2026: UN Multistakeholder Hearing, New York. PREZODE delivered an official statement calling for stronger commitments to prevention, One Health and science-informed action. This contribution was supported by an open letter endorsed by 130 international experts from more than 50 countries.
- 25 September 2026: UN High-level Meeting on PPPR, New York.
Five priorities for effective prevention
Throughout this process, PREZODE has consistently advocated for five priorities.
- Prevention must start at source, before pathogens emerge or spread into human populations. Prevention and preparedness are complementary, but they are not interchangeable.
- One Health must become operational. This means connecting human, animal and environmental health, strengthening integrated surveillance and control, and addressing the drivers of disease emergence.
- Science must inform decisions through sustained dialogue between science, society and policy, participatory approaches and evidence-based risk assessment.
- Communities must be central to prevention, with locally co-designed solutions that respond to the needs of each territory and strengthen existing health systems.
- Prevention must be sustainably financed and its impact evaluated, taking into account its epidemiological, economic, social and environmental co-benefits.
From commitments to implementation
The renewed declaration is an important political milestone, but commitments alone will not prevent the next pandemic. Implementation will.
PREZODE stands ready to support countries and partners in turning these commitments into science-based, locally adapted and measurable actions that reduce risks, strengthen health systems and protect people, animals and ecosystems.
Read PREZODE’s statment here.